JetBlue slashing MCO flights

[kylenne]

We travel April school vacation week. 2022 - there were 9 flights per day non stop between BOS-MCO. April 2024, there were 4 I think. moved our trip to leave Thursday instead of Sat/Sun and prices were outrageous

Outbound JFK-MCO still looks normal in terms of schedule and pricing but there are only 4 nonstop return flights on the Saturday we’re supposed to come back, and the one they rebooked us on is a whopping $329 for Blue. That is very nearly as much as I paid for both of our First Class return tickets on Delta, at a far better time for us, combined. It’s nuts!

 

[gottalovepluto]

After the failed merger JB needed to revamp their approach to business to stay in business. The merger was somehow going to solve their problems and when it fell through they were left with their reality, losing money constantly. They immediately announced route cutbacks and said there would be more. This has continued to manifest so apparently they have not found their balance yet.

 

[tony67]

You know, I've never thought to do this before, but I think I'm going to look into it. Have you ever run into any issues re: scheduling, keeping track of different airlines, etc. that you wouldn't have run into if you booked roundtrip?

Yeah - I always book two one way flights with jet blue - prices change all the time and sometimes one leg of the trip is far cheaper as you get closer to the date or when they run a promotion - problem is if you book round trip you have to cancel both and then the second leg cost more so you break even. Booking one way really helps and gives you a lot more flexibility. For example on my last trip I decided to stay a few more days and just rebooked the return - had that been a round trip not sure I could have done that - and it also ended up being cheaper.

That said - many airlines give you a better price on round trip than booking one way trips. Jet blue is not one of those airlines - but I have run into that with other airlines.

 

[holyrita]

JetBlue today reinforced its role as New York’s Hometown Airline® by announcing it will launch service for the first time from Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) with tickets on sale today. Starting this October, JetBlue will begin offering flights to Orlando International Airport (MCO), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Palm Beach International Airport (PBI). This new service aims to help better serve the many loyal JetBlue customers living on Long Island, providing them with more convenient travel options to popular destinations in Florida.

New Flight Schedule

To/From Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP):	Frequency:	Begins:
Orlando (MCO)	1x daily	10/24/2024
West Palm Beach (PBI)	4x weekly	10/24/2024
Fort Lauderdale (FLL)	4x weekly	10/24/2024

JetBlue Expands New York Metro Presence by Announcing it will Serve Long Island MacArthur Airport

 

[tinkerhon]

Yeah - I always book two one way flights with jet blue - prices change all the time and sometimes one leg of the trip is far cheaper as you get closer to the date or when they run a promotion - problem is if you book round trip you have to cancel both and then the second leg cost more so you break even. Booking one way really helps and gives you a lot more flexibility. For example on my last trip I decided to stay a few more days and just rebooked the return - had that been a round trip not sure I could have done that - and it also ended up being cheaper.

That said - many airlines give you a better price on round trip than booking one way trips. Jet blue is not one of those airlines - but I have run into that with other airlines.

Same ! Just did this … was able to get a $59 return flight - MCO to LGA… waited it out a few weeks, and was able to get a $79 departing

 

[DL1WDW2]

Easter is April 20 2025 .

SW schedule calendar ends on 3/5/25 and will be extended on 8/15/24 to include flight schedule thru 4/7/25

 

[Mazz519]

We booked our flights for our September trip about 4 months ago during that time they have changed our flight 3 times already….they must be cutting back and combining flights… very annoying if you don’t agree with the change you can rebook but at the current rate which is always more lately !!!

 

[Genie+]

We are very loyal to Jet Blue. At least the last dozen WDW trips were nothing but JB and we used them for our DL trip as well.

EWR has slowly kept getting more expensive especially for flights between 8am-6pm. We sometimes used HPN but it’s been years since those weren’t overly expensive. In recent years we’ve had to change our days or book LGA or JFK (less convenient for us) to avoid 6am flight or exceeding $400rt.

I try to be grateful that we still have direct options that aren’t too crazily priced. It’s hard when convenience and cost keep moving in the wrong direction. It might be time to start looking at other options. We had credits that needed to be used so we booked JB for Nov. The next trip is Feb 2025 and I’ll look into United or Delta too and how loyalty/cc might work for us. JB became habit because we’ve learned all the ropes.

 

[focusondisney]

Well, I jinxed myself saying how much I liked JB & their nonstop flight times. Got an email that our nonstop from Orlando was changed from 4:45 pm to 10:35 am. Not happy we’d have to leave for the airport by 7:30. I hadn’t cancelled our SW nonstop flights yet. Their nonstop home is 7pm, getting in at 9:30. A little later than I wanted. Even the flight times with layovers aren’t that great on either airline. I can’t decide what to do. Husband is no help, he keeps saying whichever I want is fine with him.

 

[Toolulu22]

Seems like in addition to the well publicized cuts to their western routes, B6 is slashing routes at MCO in the fall. I was shocked when I got a recent email that our September return flight to JFK was changed from 8pm to 2pm. Seems they are only going to 2 flights a day! Discussed it with a local on Reddit and it seems they are downsizing flights across the board at MCO. Crazy that it’s even happening on very popular routes like MCO-JFK. Especially considering their heavy Orlando presence between C and their training campus.

I ended up switching our flights to Delta. Fewer Skymiles to book than the TB points I originally paid (in part bc of the Amex benefit), and I upgraded to First Class for a song. I’ve been a loyal B6 customer for years, because even with the cutbacks I still think they have the best domestic Economy product. But they are making it hard to stick with them.

We just learned that JB will be flying non-stop out of Islip to 3 Florida cities- including Orlando. We currently only have Southwest and one or two budget airlines in Islip. Delta used to fly out of Islip years ago, so maybe JetBlue will use what was once their wing in the airport. It was noted that more routes could be added.

Wonder if some JFK flights are shifted over here and maybe to other smaller airports? I’m thrilled about this because I would rather fly nonstop and on JB. Lately, SW has only connecting flights, and then there is the inevitable flight time switching- which is expected at this point.

 

[sam_gordon]

Well, I jinxed myself saying how much I liked JB & their nonstop flight times. Got an email that our nonstop from Orlando was changed from 4:45 pm to 10:35 am. Not happy we’d have to leave for the airport by 7:30. I hadn’t cancelled our SW nonstop flights yet. Their nonstop home is 7pm, getting in at 9:30. A little later than I wanted. Even the flight times with layovers aren’t that great on either airline. I can’t decide what to do. Husband is no help, he keeps saying whichever I want is fine with him.

Simple. Do you work the next day?
Yes = 730a flight.
No = 7p flight.

 

[focusondisney]

Simple. Do you work the next day?
Yes = 730a flight.
No = 7p flight.

Retired. Last time we took a SW flight that was supposed to get in at 9 pm, that’s when our delayed flight took off. We got home at midnight. Retired also means we’re old & not thrilled with that possibility either, lol.

 

[kylenne]

We just learned that JB will be flying non-stop out of Islip to 3 Florida cities- including Orlando. We currently only have Southwest and one or two budget airlines in Islip. Delta used to fly out of Islip years ago, so maybe JetBlue will use what was once their wing in the airport. It was noted that more routes could be added.

Wonder if some JFK flights are shifted over here and maybe to other smaller airports? I’m thrilled about this because I would rather fly nonstop and on JB. Lately, SW has only connecting flights, and then there is the inevitable flight time switching- which is expected at this point.

I’m happy for the folks out on the island. Always nice to see the smaller airports get some love, having to deal with connections is so much more stressful.

Retired. Last time we took a SW flight that was supposed to get in at 9 pm, that’s when our delayed flight took off. We got home at midnight. Retired also means we’re old & not thrilled with that possibility either, lol.

Man, that sucks. What a tough decision—I guess for me, I would think the later flight would be less onerous. I like to err on the side of more time for the vacation, I’m a night owl though and don’t mind getting potentially delayed for a super late night home. One time I didn’t get home until 2am because of delays at MCO, but it didn’t bother me because I had off the next day. Others on the plane weren’t so lucky.

 

[Anthony1971]

JB has been cutting flights the last few years. Newark as others have mentioned is down to 2-3 flights a day. That combined with their horrendous customer service for the past 4-5 years if you have an issue -if you don't they are great- they have been a no fly for us. We changed mainly because of the CS like huge issue with luggage they put on the next flight and told us to wait finally offered delivery that came at 2AM when the other flight landed at 2:30pm. Paid seats being lost with time changes and more. The lack of flights with delays and cancellations makes it far worse. Sad part is JFK which we used a lot in the past is a JB hub as above few flights there as well. And yes their pricing this year is absurd.

 

[kristenabelle]

JB has been cutting flights the last few years. Newark as others have mentioned is down to 2-3 flights a day. That combined with their horrendous customer service for the past 4-5 years if you have an issue -if you don't they are great- they have been a no fly for us. We changed mainly because of the CS like huge issue with luggage they put on the next flight and told us to wait finally offered delivery that came at 2AM when the other flight landed at 2:30pm. Paid seats being lost with time changes and more. The lack of flights with delays and cancellations makes it far worse. Sad part is JFK which we used a lot in the past is a JB hub as above few flights there as well. And yes their pricing this year is absurd.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I flirted with JB from EWR a few years ago, and during some nasty weather delays we were shafted for several United planes. The pilot mentioned United had priority over our takeoff. Ever since, I got a United CC and resigned myself to their monopoly at EWR. I have minor complaints sometimes, but for the most part it's been ok. Looked at JB on a whim for my September trip and pricing was wild, so I just stuck with United.

 

[OKW Lover]

After the failed merger JB needed to revamp their approach to business to stay in business. The merger was somehow going to solve their problems and when it fell through they were left with their reality, losing money constantly. They immediately announced route cutbacks and said there would be more. This has continued to manifest so apparently they have not found their balance yet.

I'm not familiar with JB so please elaborate. What kind of business difficulties was JB having and how would the merger have helped?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'm not familiar with JB so please elaborate. What kind of business difficulties was JB having and how would the merger have helped?

business problem- losing money. Repeatedly.

How the merger fixed that- I never believed it but their claim was combining with spirit would have made them more competitive with the Big Boys

 

[beccasmom]

We flew SWA from PHL to MCO many times, but the schedule now (it actually started pre-pandemic) has very few non-stop flights and many flights with circuitous routing. I always found the boarding process to be chaotic (at PHL anyway), although generally I found their service to be OK. So we are now using American, which has worked out fairly well. The pricing is not much different and by using our AA credit card our baggage is free.

I’m sorry JB is having similar issues. I haven’t flown them often, but found it to be a good experience when I did.

 

[kylenne]

I don't know if this is true or not, but I flirted with JB from EWR a few years ago, and during some nasty weather delays we were shafted for several United planes. The pilot mentioned United had priority over our takeoff. Ever since, I got a United CC and resigned myself to their monopoly at EWR. I have minor complaints sometimes, but for the most part it's been ok. Looked at JB on a whim for my September trip and pricing was wild, so I just stuck with United.

I can believe that tbh. I've only flown out of EWR exactly once, since it's a pain to get there from my home. It was only a couple of months after the US-Canada border reopened and there were no direct JFK-YYZ flights back in operation, so I flew Air Canada out of EWR one time after work and it was a nightmare of delays...it honestly put me off attempting it again, if I do fly out after work again I'll just go to JFK. From work or home it's by far the most convenient airport for me to get to, which is one reason why I fly JB so much and am disappointed at the recent cutbacks.

But it's a big hub for Delta as well, so I recently picked up their card when I got a hefty targeted offer. I've always had decent experiences with them on the short hops I typically take with them. United isn't a realistic option for me ever since they totally pulled out of JFK a couple of years ago. I believe it was an issue with their slots, once the international carriers started resuming operations after the covid stoppages and taking their slots back United was caught flat footed and couldn't get any.

 

[kristenabelle]

I can believe that tbh. I've only flown out of EWR exactly once, since it's a pain to get there from my home. It was only a couple of months after the US-Canada border reopened and there were no direct JFK-YYZ flights back in operation, so I flew Air Canada out of EWR one time after work and it was a nightmare of delays...it honestly put me off attempting it again, if I do fly out after work again I'll just go to JFK. From work or home it's by far the most convenient airport for me to get to, which is one reason why I fly JB so much and am disappointed at the recent cutbacks.

But it's a big hub for Delta as well, so I recently picked up their card when I got a hefty targeted offer. I've always had decent experiences with them on the short hops I typically take with them. United isn't a realistic option for me ever since they totally pulled out of JFK a couple of years ago. I believe it was an issue with their slots, once the international carriers started resuming operations after the covid stoppages and taking their slots back United was caught flat footed and couldn't get any.

The whole configuration of hubs and airlines having slots is so confusing to me. I can't remember if it was to promote competition and discourage monopolistic behavior, but I feel like it ends up limiting a good mix of choices. Definitely at EWR - I think I've flown Delta back home maybe once, ever?